


Operation Arctophylax

by AmethystQueen



Category: Half-Life, Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: But if I tagged them it would spoil the story, Gen, If you haven't read hlvrv this is gonna make zero sense btw, Okay look there's a lot more characters than Barney, Trust me it isn't just Barney here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26261458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystQueen/pseuds/AmethystQueen
Summary: Five Barneys, one room.  What could go wrong?(Hlvrv AU where it's all Barneys baby)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Message from the Admins

**Author's Note:**

> ...Look this is gonna be Hlvrv but Barneys idk what to tell you.
> 
> Otherwise known as Amethyst starts another wip because the gods have cursed them for their hubris, and their work is never finished.

TRANSMISSION RECEIVED

**Hello?**

****

****

...

...

**...Is this thing on?**

...

...

**There we go.**

**...You're probably wondering who I am. Don't worry, everything will be explained soon. Admin W doesn't think we should share information until everything's ready, but I believe you guys deserve to know who we're dealing with. I mean, how else are you supposed to help us, right?**

**I'll answer any questions you have later. I've got to go now though. Admin E signing off.**

TRANSMISSION END

FILE SENT

Barney #1 (Codename: "The Romantic")  
\- Very friendly...maybe too friendly  
\- Don't accept anything he offers you  
\- Great at getting where he isn't supposed to be  
\- When interrogated, only talked about gibberish like beers and scorpions

Barney #2 (Codename: "The Loner")  
\- Distrustful of authority  
\- Just wants to see his friends again  
\- Didn't spend 6 years getting his PhD for this  
\- When interrogated, demanded to know if we were with "the aliens"

Barney #3 (Codename: "The Parasite")  
\- Alternates between panicked and disinterested  
\- Carting around extra baggage  
\- Isn't supposed to be awake  
\- When interrogated, insisted he was waiting for someone

Barney #4 (Codename: "The Scavenger")  
\- Strong but silent type  
\- Trying to achieve the impossible  
\- Mourns the loss of what once was  
\- When interrogated, refused to say a word

Barney #5 (Codename: "The Second-Choice")  
\- Unnoticed by most, prefers it that way  
\- Knows nothing but his job  
\- Tells his clients they are on a "need to know" basis  
\- When interrogated, said we did not need to know


	2. Communications are open!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Admin E reappears to chat. We get a few answers, some more questions appear, and the messages make their debut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Updating this fic before my other more serious fics? More likely than you think.

Not much is known about the Admins. Only a few beings even knew of their existence, much less where in the multiverse they had managed to hide themselves. And with good reason, for the Admins had spent too long ensuring their work remained secret. Now finally, success was within their grasp. The plan they had built over the course of years was almost complete. Like all great plans however, someone inevitably makes a mistake. And the day before the final step, three big mistakes were made.

The Admins' first mistake was turning their communication device on in the first place. For one thing, who knew who (or what) would take an interest in the channel. But Admin E was so lonely and they were so close to finally reaching their goal. All they were looking for was a casual conversation. Someone to talk to for five minutes without arguing, or yelling, or any other form of stress. Besides, they had already promised that they would provide follow up questions. After a few seconds, a message popped up on the screen.

[...Hello?]

**Hello!**

A pause, then several more messages appeared.

[Uhhh...who is this?]

[What's your name]

**It's Admin E again. I can't really tell you my real name though, for err...legal reasons.**

The messages were flooding in now, making Admin E feel a bit overwhelmed. Still, they tried to answer as many as possible to sate the messages' curiosity.

[Are you the one who sent out that subject list?]

**Yep!**

[You the only one there?]

**Nope! There's me, Admin L and W, and then the Bosses. I'm the only one in the room though, if that's what you meant.**

[Legal reasons? Seems pretty suspicious...]

**Trust me there's a lot of red tape, and lawyers, and...other official stuff. You aren't supposed to be paying attention to me anyways, the Barneys are the real focus here.**

[The Barneys?]

**They need our help. And we're gonna help them, or try anyways.**

"Admin E! Where are you? We need to run some practice tests." Admin E swore quietly. Couldn't they get a moment to themselves anymore?

**Look I gotta go real quick. I'll be back soon, just...don't mess with anything okay? Oh and please don't wake up the Barneys. Thank you!**

Admin E rushed out of the room, flicking multiple switches on their way out. The room went dark and for a moment everything was still. Then another message flashed on the screen.

[...are we still supposed to be here?]

(The Admins' second mistake was leaving the messages alone. Though they possessed the capacity to be pleasant around others, they could just as easily become a force of chaotic evil. With decent entertainment, they could be persuaded to play along, but leaving them to their own devices was a very bad idea.) 

At first they chattered quietly amongst themselves, though there wasn't much to do. Were they just supposed to wait until Admin E returned? That was terribly boring. Naturally, the messages spread around the room, looking for something to poke around with.

The empty room hummed quietly, lit dimly by the rows of buttons and miscellaneous devices lining the walls. Most of the computer screens were dark, currently unused as their operators were absent. One screen still flickered though, forgotten by Admin E in their haste (the third and fatal mistake). It didn't take long for the messages to notice that this was no regular screen, but was in fact the one that would wake up the test subjects.

A furious debate broke out between the messages, with some calling for all the test subjects to be woken immediately, while others argued that they should respect the wishes of Admin E. For several minutes, it appeared as though the messages were at a standstill, both sides refusing to back down. Then one voice piped up and said:

[What if we only wake up one?]

This was seen as a reasonable compromise to both sides. Surely one subject wouldn't cause too much trouble? Either way it was sure to be entertaining. Another furious debate erupted over who exactly should be awoken, before it was finally decided to just start at the top of the list.

WAKE UP THE ROMANTIC?  
> YES NO

COMMAND PROCESSING...

PROCESSING...

COMPLETE

THE ROMANTIC HAS BEEN AWOKEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter The Romantic will be introduced!

**Author's Note:**

> But seriously please go read Hlvrv on Tumblr it is a fantastic story.


End file.
